<A brief note about chronology>

Abraham told the people of Gerar that Sarah was his sister. Abimelech, the Philistine king of Gerar, believed what Abraham had said – why would he not? – and he had Sarah brought into his harem (Genesis 20:2). Then God spoke to Abimelech in a dream: “You are about to die because of the woman you have taken, for she is a married woman” (20:3). Abimelech protested that he was innocent; Abraham and Sarah had both said they were sister and brother, himself had said that she was his sister, and besides Abimelech hadn’t touched her (20:4-5).

“Yes,” God replied in the dream, “I know that you did this in the integrity of your heart; furthermore it was I who kept you from sinning against me” (20:6). Yet the integrity of his heart would not be enough: Abimelech still needed to make the situation right, and receive intercession. “Now then, return the man’s wife; for he is a prophet and will pray for you and you shall live. But if you do not restore her, know that you shall surely die, you and all that are yours” (20:7).

This was quite distressing to Abimelech and his officers (20:8). Abimelech called in Abraham and complained that Abraham had treated him badly: “What possessed you to do this?” he asked (20:9-10). Abraham responded that he figured they were all godless heathens – “I thought, There is no fear of God at all in this place” (20:11) – so he was afraid they would have killed him to get his wife. Yet the text has allowed us to see that Abimelech was actually quite responsive to the revelation he received from God.

The overall narrative of the book of Genesis is the story of God’s decision to bring into being a covenant people, the descendants of Abraham, through whom all the families of the earth would be blessed (12:3): but this incident shows us it is not because Abraham was especially good and the rest of the world was especially bad. Indeed, though Abraham assumed that he was a more virtuous man than Abimelech, in today’s text the opposite appears to be the case.

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We are all needy sinners, O Lord: those of us like Abraham who seek to follow you, and those of us like Abimelech who have never heard your name. Give us your grace, we pray: for grace alone is sufficient to overcome our ignorance, our fearfulness, and our self-righteousness.